Allison Lupton Returns With A Rich, Storytelling LP

Allison Lupton is back, and this time she's got a full LP that delivers such lush and beautiful soundscapes based in rustic folk and more, rich with warm and addictive instrumentation, an acoustic backbone, and a sort of soothing prairie folk undertone that just feels spirited and inviting almost the entire time.

Throughout this record, you can hear the artist's influence not only in folk but in church and spiritual influences as well. The songs come through with this unique and particular kind of energy that fills your soul with that brightness and takes you to a different place altogether.

As I mentioned, this has a bit of a prairie element to it. That rootsy folk and acoustic set of textures that come together, creating such a brilliant atmosphere, is endlessly invigorating and pretty immersive as well.

The record is called Step Up Molly, and it doesn't waste much time with the first track, "Over the Line," which invites you into the rest of the record amazingly. This initial track sort of opens the door and introduces you to what you can expect throughout the course of the album.

You have layered storytelling, descriptive and detailed lyrics painting pictures in your head as songs unfold, and this sense of calm that sort of washes over you.

What's great about a lot of the songs on this record, including this first one, is that it starts letting you escape into it.

You're not just listening to a record. By the time you get to the third or fourth track, you are pulled away from wherever you are and whatever you're doing and put in this other headspace.

Each song tells stories from either an outside or personal perspective, but she's got such a way of articulating her lyrics so that you are able to really soak everything in.

Her vocals are almost soothing. There's also this sort of classic approach to how she sings, and I feel like this is one of the bigger aspects where you can hear the blend of this sort of church and prairie folk aesthetic, along with the classic singer-songwriter and vintage folk approach as well.

Being able to blend the different approaches of folk music into the record was outstanding, and it all comes together seamlessly.

"Sea of Glass" gives you an almost Celtic approach, telling a tale of traveling and a life fully lived, with many things seen, and it feels like an act of a play. Listening to this record feels like not just chapters in someone's life but more like chapters of a book.

They tell those stories so well that you are kind of swallowed up by it all. Getting engulfed by this album feels amazing.

Now, along with Allison's brilliant performances that just help your body sort of relax, you have the Andrew Collins Trio backing her with tons of that amazing warmth. From the acoustics to strings, everything comes together and helps build those atmospheres, and I feel like this is something that Allison is amazing at helping put together.

I'm not sure how they came together, but I feel like Allison knew what the result would be if they did.

I think being able to team up with different performers throughout this record, such as not just the Andrew Collins Trio but also Tony McManus and Ivan Rosenberg, allowed Allison to expand and really be free with her songwriting.

It beckons the question of whether or not she had particular ideas in her head and how those came to fruition. It makes you wonder what the process is in terms of gathering these amazing musicians in one spot to collaborate and create something so big.

When you listen to the record, you can tell these are all incredibly and amazingly talented and seasoned musicians who all have a love for their craft, and that is something that bleeds through with every song.

You have sort of smooth but rich backing vocals scattered and peppered throughout the record, loads of this natural instrumentation that all flow into each other and layer up so that you have depth to the songs. When she's telling these stories, the instrumentation and songwriting create incredible moods for the lyrics.

This is kind of why I feel like the record has a semi-theatrical sense to it. That's how I took it, anyway. I listen to the record with headphones on, and doing that puts you in the moment with the songs. I was able to really pay attention to the stories, the emotion, and the feeling behind them, and you can really hear this spark between the performers on the record throughout the full LP.

There is a natural synergy, and it's easy to pick up on that.

It's something where you can tell, or at least it feels like, this was all recorded live on the floor, in one shot.

I feel like this because you can almost feel the fluctuation of energy between the musicians.

Allison always tops things with her performances, and this is absolutely a record that I would recommend listening to in full, from start to finish.

Although, as I mentioned earlier, I'm not sure if it's an actual concept record, there are elements of connection between the songs.

As I said before, it's like reading a book. Here's the thing: you wouldn't skip chapters in a book. I would also suggest not skipping songs on this record in that same manner.

"When Trouble Comes" is one of the most beautiful pieces on the record, in my opinion. This consists of not just Allison but also Craig Worth and Mike Stevens, who are beautifully harmonizing with her vocally, along with harmonica performances that also add more ambience and cinematic backbone to the song.

This track has a naturally dark overtone to it, and that's part of the story and sentiment of the song itself.

So you see, these songs do actually sort of connect with each other in a storytelling way. Some of them have that darker overtone because that's what the song is about, but it all opens up to one bigger storyline, and this is yet another reason to actually listen to the full record through and through.

Other performers on the record include Shane Cook and Waymzy on songs like "Hockey Night," which feels much like an anthem and a damn good time at that.

This is a stadium drinking song, super colorful and fun, with great attitude and spirit.

At any rate, without going too much further, this is not a record you want to miss. This feels almost like an opus, and I can't express enough how you are taken into these stories and swept away by the textures and tones that you hear throughout it all.

So, it's time to jump into this record and escape from your world for a little bit.

Dig into Step Up Molly and remember where you heard it first.

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